Reconciling "The Station" CO Scenario With the Historical Narrative
I am almost done with this Command Ops Platoon level (tactical) scenario simulating the 28th Maori Bn's night attack against the Train Station at Monte Cassino. This has been particularly challenging for me as I have tried to reconcile the historical narrative with the game engine.
The really tricky part has been simulating a deployed German force that was asleep at the wheel while the Maoris conducted a stealthy march past flooded fields using an elevated railway embankment. The embankment is exposed in many locations and somehow the German forces weren't aware of their approach (the combination of the flooded terrain and a heavy overnight bombing campaign probably worked into the Maoris favor by reducing the German awareness).
There is also a tactical objective between the jump off point for the Maoris and the Train Station objective called "the Round House." This was a real objective that the Maori's were charged with eliminating. The AI attacks this objective almost immediately which lights up the approach so to speak for nearby German forces. Once the approaching Maoris are fixed on the map the Germans coordinate their response and almost always seal off the approach to the Station.
To get to a tactical situation where the gameplay is closer to the actual narrative (the Maoris reaching the Station) I've reduced the deployed German force, changed their cohesion levels (this is an option for scenario designers) and moved a number of units off the map to deploy as a reinforcement instead of starting on the map.
The result of these tweaks this morning got me closer to the actual result. The Maoris fought their way into Cassino town, and briefly knocked the German 155th PG Regt defenders off of the Station objective. The majority of the 28th Bn though was strung along the embankment and in some woods pinned down by shelling from the nearby heights.
This is really close. I've got a few more tweaks to try and then if the result is closer to the actual event I am going to release. If I can get to them at lunch, maybe this will go live tonight.
I have tried to post messages like these about the creation process to encourage other people to try creating their own scenarios. I am by no means an expert. I learn something new about the game every day. I just want readers and CO fans to get a sense of how flexible the editors are for this game and how much fun scenario creation can be.
The really tricky part has been simulating a deployed German force that was asleep at the wheel while the Maoris conducted a stealthy march past flooded fields using an elevated railway embankment. The embankment is exposed in many locations and somehow the German forces weren't aware of their approach (the combination of the flooded terrain and a heavy overnight bombing campaign probably worked into the Maoris favor by reducing the German awareness).
There is also a tactical objective between the jump off point for the Maoris and the Train Station objective called "the Round House." This was a real objective that the Maori's were charged with eliminating. The AI attacks this objective almost immediately which lights up the approach so to speak for nearby German forces. Once the approaching Maoris are fixed on the map the Germans coordinate their response and almost always seal off the approach to the Station.
To get to a tactical situation where the gameplay is closer to the actual narrative (the Maoris reaching the Station) I've reduced the deployed German force, changed their cohesion levels (this is an option for scenario designers) and moved a number of units off the map to deploy as a reinforcement instead of starting on the map.
The result of these tweaks this morning got me closer to the actual result. The Maoris fought their way into Cassino town, and briefly knocked the German 155th PG Regt defenders off of the Station objective. The majority of the 28th Bn though was strung along the embankment and in some woods pinned down by shelling from the nearby heights.
This is really close. I've got a few more tweaks to try and then if the result is closer to the actual event I am going to release. If I can get to them at lunch, maybe this will go live tonight.
I have tried to post messages like these about the creation process to encourage other people to try creating their own scenarios. I am by no means an expert. I learn something new about the game every day. I just want readers and CO fans to get a sense of how flexible the editors are for this game and how much fun scenario creation can be.
Comments
Good thoughts on fatigue. Will keep you posted on this later today!